Chapter 05: If I Can't Have Him, No One Should.
Jade's POV
“Eros???” My voice cracked like a sinner at confession. “Oh heavens…”
It was like the whole room bent toward him the moment he took shape. His body wasn’t clunky metal or stiff wires like the robots I’d seen in movies.
Nah.
This one was sculpted like a man God carved Himself, then rewired with a secret chip. I swear, if I hadn’t known better, I’d bet a whole million that Eros was flesh and blood.
I gulped hard, clutching Sasha’s arm.“Jade, don’t you dare,” she hissed.
“Oh, hell, I am going to dare.” My eyes refused to look away.
“Jade, you got robbed of eighty grand!”
“I know,” I snapped, licking my lips, “but no way in hell I’m letting this slide.”
The manager cleared his throat, smug like he owned the world. “Turn on Eros. Let’s display his… communication protocols.”
The techs nodded, tapped a console, and suddenly, his eyes flickered open. Ice-blue, glowing like two galaxies had been trapped behind his irises. His chest rose, then he spoke, voice low and silky, but robotic enough to send chills down my spine.
“Systems activated. User detected.Query: Do you require companionship… or climax first?”
My thighs pressed together on instinct. “Ouuu,” I breathed, shameless, “this one’s mine.”
“Jade!” Sasha tugged my wrist. “Get a grip. That thing’s worth millions.”
“Then I’m about to spend millions.” Sasha swore under her breath as I turned to the manager. “How much?”
He smirked like he’d been waiting for me to ask. “You can’t afford this one. It’s one of our hardest investments. But we can show you...”
“No.” I slapped his hand away before he finished. “I fucking want that one.”
His smile faltered. He gulped. “Three hundred thousand dollars.” The room went silent. Even Sasha stopped breathing.
I paused, bit my lip, then smiled. “Okay. I want it.”
Sasha gasped. “You can’t be serious, Jade!”
“Oh, yes, I am.” I stared the manager dead in his eyes. “So what the hell are you waiting for?”
“Ma’am, you’ll need to relax. The procedure requires him to be presented to the crowd. After that…” His words dragged like knives. “…the sale goes through a bidding process."
I tilted my head. “What the fuck is a bid?” He adjusted his tie. “If others offer more than you, we sell to the highest bidder.”
I laughed bitterly. “Oh, so this is a game. I get it.”
We walked out to the floor where the crowd roared like a coliseum. Sasha leaned into me. “Jade, think. These are high rollers...money machines. You can’t outbid them. Look around!”
I did.
Young men in suits, women dripping in diamonds, eyes hungry like wolves. My stomach twisted. “I don’t care,” I muttered.
“You’re stubborn as hell!” she snapped. “First you beg me to take you here, now you’re acting like...”
“Like what? Like the dick meant for me is right there getting sold to the highest pussy?” Her eyes widened.
“Jade!” She yelled.
I folded my arms. “If you don’t like it, go fuck your Matty-boy somewhere else..while i fight for mine..”
Her jaw tightened. “Why would you say that? I’m looking out for you!”
I chuckled darkly. “I’ve been looking out for myself since I was a child. Don’t act like you suddenly my mama.”
She sighed, defeated. “Fine. But you’re not even placing a bid?”
“Nope.”
“Then why are we even here?”
“Because if I can’t have him,” I whispered, eyes locked on Eros’s frame under the spotlight, “I’ll damn sure make sure no one else does.” I spat.
The auctioneer’s voice boomed. “Starting at one hundred thousand!” Hands shot up. "Two hundred. Two-fifty."
My chest tightened. My heart pounded. I blinked fast, refusing to let tears fall. Nothing in my life had ever been handed to me easy. Why would this be any different?
Sasha leaned close. “Jade… please. Let’s go. You’re torturing yourself.”
“Leave me the fuck alone.”
“I’ll get you someone from Tinder who can fuck you proper...”
I turned, chuckling bitterly. “Best friend of the year.”
She smiled awkwardly. “I didn’t mean it like...”
“Shut up. You think just because I’m sexual, I’m desperate?”
She flinched. “Jade…”
“Go. Be perfect with your perfect boyfriend. You’re not helping me.”
“I’m not leaving.”
“Then choke on your own pity.”
The crowd roared louder. Bids climbed. My nails dug into my palms, blood nearly breaking skin.Then....
“I bid a million dollars.” The room froze. Heads turned. Even the auctioneer stuttered. I whipped around. A woman in a tailored lemon-yellow coat stood at the center aisle.
The coat shimmered under the lights, dripping with gold accents, her heels studded with jewels that probably cost more than my rent for life. She held a glass of champagne like the whole world belonged to her.The manager clapped.
“Sold! To the lady for one million dollars!” The crowd exploded. Cameras flashed. My vision tunneled.
I turned slowly toward Sasha.
She whispered, “Jade… I’m sorry.”
I laughed once, sharp and bitter. “Sorry? Nah. Watch me.”
Her eyes widened. “Jade, don’t...”
“Don’t what? Do something stupid?” I smirked, heat rising in my chest. “You guessed right. If I can’t have him, no one will.”
I yanked free of her grip and pushed through the cheering crowd, my heels clicking like gunshots on marble. The spotlight burned on Eros’s body, gleaming, waiting. And with the entire room watching, I raised my hand.
“I’m not here to bid,” I shouted, voice slicing through the chaos. “I’m here to claim him.”
Gasps. Murmurs. Sasha’s panicked voice begging me to stop. The manager frozen in place.And then...Eros’s head tilted toward me. His voice, low and mechanical, echoed through the speakers: “Command detected. New owner….”
The room went dead silent.
